Black Orchid

Target novelisation Doctor Who - Black Orchid

Author	Terence Dudley
Published	1982
ISBN	0 426 20254 6
First Edition Cover	Tony Masero

Back cover blurb: On a lazy June afternoon in 1925 the TARDIS materialises at the tiny railway station of Cranleigh Halt. Warmly welcomed by the local gentry, the time-travellers look forward to a well-deserved rest from their adventures. After a stunning performance at a friendly cricket match, the Doctor, together with Tegan, Adric and Nyssa, is invited to a splendid masked ball by Lady Cranleigh and her son, Charles. But a dark menace haunts the secret corridors of Cranleigh Hall. And before the ball is over, the quiet summer will be shattered by the shocking discovery of a brutal murder...

• Red herrings by Antony Tomlinson

Red herrings by Antony Tomlinson 14/3/05

I haven't seen the TV story, Black Orchid, but I know that it is only two episodes long. I thus expected some depth from a book that spread this fifty-minute historical over 143 pages. Did this book then, with its original setting (upper-class, 1920s England), and its gorgeous front cover, live up to my expectations?

In its first few chapters it did. The book is written in a leisurely, witty style, taking in elements of its two most obvious influences - P.G. Wodehouse and Arthur Conan Doyle. We get lovely little reflections on the strict system of manners at the time (Terence Dudley has obviously done his research). We also get some wry philosophical musings in the mind of the Doctor; slight drunkenness in the mind of Tegan as she gulps champagne and cocktails, and mildly amusing confusion at English sport and etiquette in the minds of the alien companions. Incredibly, Adric is also made a very likable character at the start of this tale, as he overcomes his shyness to take to a dance floor.

In a world of cricket and parties, all this is fine. The problems arise, however, when the plot kicks in. Dudley's relaxed writing style means that moments of fast-paced action end up dragging. The Doctor seems to spend forever wandering and pondering through secret passages, and the kidnap of Ann is slow. Dudley also seems happy that entire lines of conversation and scenes be repeated over and over again.

However, there is another more fundamental problem with this book. Dudley's writing does indeed do an excellent job of bringing this TARDIS crew to life. Unfortunately, this is one book in which the TARDIS crew are almost totally irrelevant to the plot. They are merely the red herrings caught up in a crime drama - the people the police arrest by mistake.

The real drama concerns Lady Cranleigh, her two sons and the character of Ann Talbot. However, these central characters are not explored in anywhere like the detail that Doctor and his companions are - they are treated almost like extras. So when the Cranleighs' various revelations come to light we really don't care. It therefore all ends rather disappointingly - the scandal behind the whole story is highlighted in a couple of sentences, there is then a small fight on a roof and finally the reader is left shrugging apathetically.

This book was therefore a pleasant enough read, but ultimately rather unsatisfying. It could easily have been improved, however, in one of two ways. Firstly, if the story had been told from the perspective of a character actually emotionally caught up in the drama (say family friend and chief constable, Sir Robert) then the Doctor and his companions could have been the slight oddities that they actually represent in this tale. The focus of our attentions could then have remained on the real plot - the Cranleighs. Alternatively, Dudley could have just cut out all the deformed maniac stuff altogether, and stuck to a summery tale of cricket and cocktails on the manor lawn.